Assassin Angel
by Tori101
Summary: She’s the best assassin in her country she can get to any target, by any means necessary. But when assigned to act as a body guard for an important man’s son, she finds forbidden romance and uncovers a horror she can’t understand.KxL
1. Prologue

**Assassin Angel**

She's the best assassin in her country; she can get to any target, by any means necessary. But when assigned to act as a body guard for an important man's son, she finds forbidden romance and uncovers a horror she can't understand. KxL

**_Disclaimer_**: I ABSOLUTELY do not own Gundam Seed in any shape, form, taste, color, or size. All I own are my dreams and my original plotlines…such as this one.

**Note**: Rated for violent scenes, heated scenes (Lemony, ne?), and language.

**Prolouge**

Her breathing was fast, panting, almost desperate for air. Her lips claimed his again and her hands slowly began to push the unbuttoned shirt from his shoulders. In turn, she felt his hands slowly glide from her hips to her chest. His fingers noisily tried to unbuckle the straps that ran from her neck to her waist that kept her sleeveless, trench coat-like dress on.

Pushing him gently from the small hallway of the hotel room, she allowed her eyes to open slightly to see if they were closer to the bed. She felt her heartbeat quicken when she pushed him down onto the soft mattress. When the two bodies hit the mattress, the man tried to roll out from being on the bottom, but she wouldn't let him. He stared up into her crystal blue eyes with a bit of annoyance.

Thinking quickly, the girl sat back and straddled him, her hips grinding into his, her thighs on either side of his legs. Glancing down, she could say the bulge in his pants. She smirked seductively and lifted her pale hands up, and gently yet slowly unbuckled the buckles he'd failed to get undone. His eyes widened a bit with desire at the sight of pale, unmarred flesh beneath the tight black dress.

She pushed the tight, leather fabric from her shoulders, allowing the man below her to see what he had been wanting all night. The lace bra she wore was as black as her dress, and didn't do such a great job of concealing her desired skin. There's her modesty down the drain.

Slipping the black fabric away from her stomach, her hips were soon revealed, and even lower. The man's eyes widened even further as a lustful smirk crawled its way onto his face. The girl's underwear matched her bra, and also didn't provide much covering. Black garters went down her thighs a few inches and attached to her black stockings.

The man's gaze flickered up at the girl, whose hands were gracefully pulling the ties and chopsticks from her hair. The bun fell when she removed the last tie, releasing her black locks from their bindings. Afterward, she lowered herself towards the man, her smirking eyes closing as her lips graced his. He eagerly kissed back, and his hands shot up to embrace her skin. As he occupied himself with the clasp of her bra, he didn't notice her right hand lifting from his shoulder and drifting towards her leg.

If his eyes had been opened, he just might have had a chance to escape from her. But no, his adulterous mind was to occupied with the seemingly flawless, gorgeous girl straddling him. He never knew there was a sharp, steel dagger held in a small harness that wrapped around her leg and seemed to be a part of her stocking.

She broke away from him and sat back so he could see the dagger in her hand and scream before she plunged it deep within his chest. His eyes went wide with fear, and then froze as his blood soaked through the sheets on the bed.

The girl used her free hand to close his eyes, and she pulled her dagger from the lifeless body. Blood flew from the abrupt release and spattered across her exposed stomach, dark crimson against pale moon white. She cleaned the dagger quickly by running it through the bed sheets and returned it to its harness behind her thigh. Grabbing her dress from the edge of the bed, she slipped it on and only fastened two buckles. Hurrying across the room, she pulled a suitcase from underneath another, and yanked it open. She rummaged through the clothing and plain old accessories till she found what she was looking for. Pulling it from the clothes, she confirmed it was her black bag by holding it up to the moonlight coming from the window. Opening it, she made sure whatever was in there was supposed to be in there, and then she grabbed a few other things from the suitcase: a wallet, a small PDA, a handgun that was hidden among lingerie, and a cardkey.

Standing, she made her way back to the body, and reached into his pocket for his wallet. Opening it, her eyes scanned over the license and ID, the credit cards, and his social securities card without a second glance. Holding open the flap, she thumbed through the large bills of money. She growled in exasperation and threw the wallet down on the bed. The blood had turned the once creamy-orange sheets dark red, black in some areas where the blood was pooling around the body. Checking in his other pocket, she pulled out what looked like another wallet. Flipping it open, she saw it was indeed another wallet. But this one had pictures of a woman and child. The girl snorted at the picture. Someone else would think these two were his family, but she knew for a fact they were probably just models, or maybe a coworker's wife and son.

Thumbing through the money flap, she found only fifteen dollars and a receipt to some store. She would have tossed down the wallet, but she noticed on the inside was another thin flap. She opened it and her eyes lit up. She pulled out the small cardkey and slipped it into her bag. A crash made her turn to look at the door. Sounds and grunts were heard through the thick metal, and she could make out the sounds of someone trying to get through the cardkey lock.

Vaulting towards the window, she tried to open it, but found it locked securely tight. Frowning in mild worry, she glared at the window before a thought came over her. Stepping back a bit, she then threw her leg upwards in a well aimed kick to break the glass with her six inch stiletto heel. The shattered glass falling to the floor and the small ledge outside lifted the corners of her lips into a grin. Just as the door was rammed again, she turned around and ran to the suitcases again. She reached into the open one and pulled a cosmetic bag from the heap of clothes. Opening it, she pulled two dick cases out and checked to see if the right disc were inside them. The door was rammed again, making a loud noise, and she slipped the discs into her bag and pulled out a pair of gloves before zipping it closed and strapping it over her shoulder.

Just as the door broke open and two men armed with hand guns ran into the room, the girl sprinted for the window, slipping the gloves on her hands while running. The men saw her and opened fire just as she sprung out the window.

She fell a few feet quickly, her eyes scanning the area as her mind registered the area of the hotel. She knew there would be a balcony a few more floors down. Sure enough, she passed the balcony, and shot up her hands to grip the concrete ledge before she fell too far.

Maneuvering herself, she flipped herself up onto the balcony rail and landed in a crouching position. Surely the men must have contacted the others they had posted in the building by now, and were searching for her. She gazed around the area quickly, and her eyes fell on a building that was a bit lower than the floor she'd landed on. Deciding quickly, she stood on the balcony rail with perfect balance and raced towards the edge before jumping onto the ledge of the hotel.

She ran over that till she reached the end of the ledge, nearly just above the other building. The girl glanced down, and saw men in black clothes running in front of the hotel. With her enhanced sight, she saw one of them spot her, and point her out to the others. '_Shit_,' she mentally cursed.

Turning back to the building, she mentally measured the distances and heights of her current location, the building, and the distance between the hotel and the building. She wasn't sure she could make the jump, and glancing down, she noticed that more of the men were outside, their eyes locked on her. '_Damn, they have binoculars as well_…' she mused to herself. She knew there were men inside the hotel running her way. With her luck at its lowest, there would be a guard at any and every window or entrance in the building.

On a whim of luck, she glanced down a bit and noticed a fire escape hid farther behind the hotel. A smirk crossed her lips and she began running down the ledge in the direction of the fire escape, mentally preparing herself for a battle. Of course there would be men by one of those waiting for her with their guns ready.

Her right hand flew to her thigh and reached behind the slit in her dress side and pulled the dagger from the harness. The fire escape came into view and she easily saw the men waiting.

"Target in sight!" One shouted into an ear piece-mic set.

The others drew their guns and aimed at her. With her enhanced hearing, she was able to pick up the "_Don't kill her unless you have to_," from one of their ear pieces. '_They'll try and shoot my legs, arms maybe if I prove to be too rough_,' she informed herself, before scanning the area to plan her attacks.

The first gun shot was aimed near her head but closer to her shoulder. '_To try and get me to think they'll kill me_,' she replied to herself as she jumped from her position and landed in front of one of the men in a crouching position. Quickly jumping up, she brought her dagger up and slashed through the man's chest, the blood splattering on the wall and her face, along with her dress. She pushed him out of the way before she could get shot and ran towards the next man, being careful not to let her heels get caught in the fire escape floor.

The girl plunged her dagger into the man's shoulder, causing him to drop his gun with a clatter as the steel hit the iron. Pulling back a bit, she sent a lightning fast kick towards the side of his head. His body fell unconscious to the iron grating and she dodged a volley of bullets before grabbing the rail and vaulting herself over it and bringing herself to the lower area of the fire escape. One of the men was in front of her and had seen up her dress when she jumped down. The girl kicked him roughly in the chest, her stiletto heel an extra weapon.

He fell, knocking into the man behind him. The girl took that chance to lean down quickly and scoop up the gun the man had dropped when she kicked him. Darting past the two as they tried to get up, she jumped down the fire escape stairs and shot the man waiting for her in the leg. He cursed and fell on his back from the abrupt and unexpected attack. She maneuvered herself over his body, only found herself stuck between the stairs she'd just come down, and at least ten men.

There would have been no hesitance for her to strike out at them with the stolen handgun and physical attacks, but she had noticed they carried different guns that were loaded with tranquilizers. Her mind could only imagine how powerful the drugs they were using could be, and she knew they could slow her down just long enough with the tranquilizers, if they were strong enough, and then shoot her in the leg or something to fully make her become immobile.

Just as one of them raised their gun, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the building was only a few meters away, if any maybe three, three and a half. Taking a breath on luck and using her enhanced strength, she spun around and jumped up onto the railing in a crouch before vaulting off, hoping to hit the building. She heard the gun fire, but didn't feel anything hit her while she was in mid air.

As she closed in on the building she put her hands out in front of her to take the impact. Her gloved hands met solid brick, and the gloves stuck tightly. Before she had a chance to catch her breath, she quickly began climbing. She heard the shot of the guns, tranquilizer and hand guns, and instead of feeling no pain, she felt a sting in her left shoulder. Gasping from the shock of getting hit, she slowed down slightly.

Luckily, she'd nearly reached the roof of the building. Grabbing the low rise ledge, she pulled herself up and over the ledge to land on the roof of the building. She lay next to the ledge and kept her head down as a volley of gunshots rang out, hitting the concrete. Taking that moment to catch her breath, she reached behind her and yanked the dart from her shoulder. She stared at the projectile curiously, having never seen any kind like it before. Unzipping her bag quickly, she slipped it inside it and zipped the bag closed. Before getting away from the ledge, she cocked the gun and stood up quickly, sending a shot blindly towards the group of men.

Using the distraction, she dropped the gun and ran towards the other edge of the building. A volley of shots raced after her as she ran, but her enhanced speed made it easier for her to get away from them. Reaching the opposite ledge, she saw it was only a meter away from the next building rooftop. A small wave of dizziness washed over her, and she felt a small pain in her arm, as though it had fallen asleep. '_What the_?' she questioned to herself. It passed quickly, and she jumped without another thought, and raced towards the other end of the roof.

Reaching it, she saw it was at least a thirty foot drop from the roof top. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the men were running to get off the fire escape. Her vision began to blur and her head felt like a marble was banging around inside it. She groaned softly and rubbed her temples when the pain became a bit much. But then it dulled down some, and she took that moment to get her body over the ledge so she could climb down the building.

After climbing down for a few meters, she decided to not waste any more time and she jumped from the wall to land on the pavement in an alleyway. Deciding to go to the back of the building, she ran quickly, wincing a bit from the pain snaking its way down through her legs.

Reaching the street, she noticed a car was coming down the road. It appeared to be in a hurry. Noticing it was a taxi, the girl stopped at the edge of the street, settling her mind on waving it down. She could always kill the driver if she needed to.

The car stopped in front of her, and surprisingly, the driver got out, looking over her outfit and the exposed skin and clothes underneath, before opening the door quickly for her. She sent a wary glance at the man before getting in. He shut the door quickly and then returned to the driver's seat. Without a word, he started the engine and began driving in the direction he'd come from. A small wave of pain ran through her head, causing her to groan softly. Sure, she could take pain, but this pain was much different. It seemed to be traveling through her body like knights storming a castle, intent on killing all that resided in it. When that pain dulled down, she urgently leaned forward, gripping the driver's seat tightly with her pale fingers. "I didn't tell you where to go," she hissed dangerously.

She was met with a chuckle from the driver. "I know exactly where you're going," he answered, his eyes never leaving the road as they turned onto a nearly busy street.

The girl was reaching for her bag to pull out her gun since she'd left her dagger behind, when anther wave of pain rushed through her, making that damn marble in her head jump around like a squirrel on crack and coffee. She groaned again, falling back into the backseat.

"Don't worry "Nightingale", we'll be back at the "nest" soon." the driver replied, his eyes glancing up into the rearview mirror to see the girl relax in the seat.

After hearing the driver say those words, the girl felt relief wash over her. She laid her head back against the leather seats of the taxi and closed her eyes, placing her trust in the driver.

When she opened her eyes, it was because someone was pulling her gently out of the car. She didn't bother to look up at the person carrying her, and she closed her eyes again. Before falling into a pain induced state of unconsciousness, she could hear the voice of the driver talking to someone, a medic most likely. He was saying something like "I think she was in pain, I could hear her groaning the way here." Or something like that. She didn't really care, she just wanted to sleep and make the pain go away.

**There's chapter one, I like it so far. I feel more confident about this story's beginning than I usually do with others. Anyway, expect plenty of action and violence, and after chapter 2 or 3 at the latest, I'll begin the romance. I hope you enjoyed, please, please, PLEASE, REVIEW!**

**REVIEW!**

**Ps. I'm aware my most famous story (For You) is in need of an update, I'm trying. Well, typing, it up when I have the chance. I just hit a small writer's block, sort of. Try to expect an update around Thursday or Friday.**

**Thanks for reading!**

Sam the Insane aka **Tori101**


	2. The Roost

**Assassin Angel**

Sorry that this update is so late…guess I should finally start working with this again, seeing as how I've been wanting to for some time. Well, I hope the people who put it on alert will at least come back to read it, I gotta say I love the story I've got planned out for this, but nonetheless, I'll get on with the chapter. Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering on my awareness, I am aware I said black hair in the first chapter, and there is a simple explanation for that, just go ahead and read.

**The Roost**

There was a sense of weightless grogginess as she came to, and after opening her eyes, she panicked slightly when she could see nothing. But after a few moments of blinking, her vision came back into focus and the young woman lying realized she was in a bed somewhere. Glancing from side to side, she went to lift her hand up to brush her bangs from her forehead, only to wince at a slight tug at her hand. Using her other hand to gently prod at the source of her discomfort, she found that an IV needle was placed in her hand. Now that she was fully conscious, she became aware of the quiet beeping and buzzing and humming of machines located close to the bed, along with a few other wires connected to her skin in some way.

Narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips, she pulled herself into an upright position and set about removing the wires. First off, she pulled the needle out of her hand, not really caring about the slight twitch of pain that the action had caused. Then she was pulling the adhesive pads away from her chest underneath the thin gown she was wearing, fingertips pausing to rub the skin after the pads were removed. She was attempting to pull back the covers and slip her legs out of the bed when the sliding metal and glass doors at the other end of the room quietly pushed open just as the lights quickly flickered on, bathing the room in bright fluorescent light.

"Ah," the girl growled, lifting her hands to her eyes, not having been ready for something so bright so soon.

"Lacus, you get back in that bed now!" the woman from the doorway commanded, clearly surprised but trying to take charge of the situation. Crossing the room quickly, the shorthaired woman reached out to the other, pushing her shoulders back to force her back onto the medical bed.

"I'm fine," the long haired girl grumbled, narrowed blue eyes flashing and glancing off to the side, trying to find an escape. But the other was faster than she, and before Lacus knew it, she was back in the bed and the covers pulled up. Glaring at the other woman, Lacus huffed to herself. "I don't need to be here."

Sighing softly as she attempted to fix what Lacus had done, the other woman turned her head towards the incompliant patient. "You would say that if your arm had been severed off," she sniped.

"I wouldn't make a stupid mistake to get my arm severed in the first place, Miriallia," Lacus quipped back.

"When the agent brought you back, you were out like the dead, you know." the other, Miriallia, began to explain. She seemed satisfied by Lacus' surprised look. "We were worried you'd been poisoned, until we found that dart in your bag and were able to analyze it. Though it's still in testing, we're pretty certain that it's a high grade tranquilizer specifically manufactured for Coordinators," Mir added.

"I could have told you that much, little else can work on me," Lacus replied, her eyes on Mir's green gaze.

"No you couldn't, you were dead to the world," the short haired woman corrected, pushing the IV needle back into Lacus' hand with just a little more force than necessary. "But you'd have been flattered to see how many of the younger agents were willing to test the drug when we were first trying to examine it. Even Haro offered, but Zala wouldn't have it," Mir explained, her attention falling onto one of the monitors around Lacus' bed.

Leaning back against the pillows dejectedly, Lacus grinned slightly. "You seem to have done a lot in so little time, finally picking up the pace?" she asked, only to receive a slightly amused and slightly concerned smile from Miriallia.

"Lacus, you've been out for nearly two whole days, not counting the night you got back." the woman revealed. Lacus was silent, a thoughtful and peeved expression crossing her face. "We ran a lot of tests, and we're still waiting for all of the blood work to get done, and I gave you an exam to make sure nothing else was wrong. I'm glad you woke up today, though. Zala had mentioned it would be beneficial," Mir added with a grin.

Lacus nodded absently, still going through thoughts in her head. She'd been out for so long…all because of a few ounces of whatever was in that dart? She wasn't surprised really that Athrun wasn't waiting by her bedside, and was actually thinking about work rather than her well being, that was normal for them. She wondered if he even still had a heart sometimes, but had kept such thoughts to herself. None of her business if all he ever desired was to make a profit at the end of the day. Feeling an itch on her scalp, she made sure to use the hand without the IV to scratch it while her hair brushed her fingers.

"You couldn't at least have washed the dye out?" Lacus mumbled to herself, pulling a handful of her long thick hair in front of her. It was still that dusky ebony color, rather than her natural shade of soft rose. The only reason she'd died her hair was because her target had preferred black haired women, and she'd had to get him to notice her out of the crowd to finish her job. But having had to pretend she was some sort of "escort" had really pressed her limits, yet Athrun knowing that it would had given her the task of killing him. It'd been the worst two weeks of her life, especially having to remember to dye her hair and eyebrows to make sure her hair didn't give her away.

Though pink hair wasn't necessarily very common, among Coordinators it was a possible trait that she had gotten, and some girls dyed their hair when they pleased. But nonetheless, the mission had called for black hair, so black it became. And now she wanted to get rid of it already.

"Sorry," Miriallia answered with a smile and a shrug. The woman was a close friend to Lacus, possibly the closest she had to a best friend given that Mir knew everything about her for starters. She was more or less in charge of the medical sect of their organization, despite being so young and a Natural at that. She'd fixed Lacus up countless times, and she was grateful to have someone like Mir as her friend. If you kill people for a living, you tend to find solace in the simplest yet most important of things, and Miriallia always seemed to know of some way to get Lacus' mind out of her darker place and bring a smile to her lips.

"I promise you can get to your shower in a few hours, but for now you just need to rest and let us get our work done. Do you want me to give you a sedative to help?" the woman asked, but Lacus shook her head stubbornly which only made Mir smile. "All right then, I'll go to check up on the current results. I'll send Haro to you with some lunch if you'd like," Miriallia mentioned as she walked to the other side of the room to pull back the heavy drapes from the windows. Some light streamed in, and the view outside the windows showed off the other tall buildings of the city. What better place to run an illegal organization than right smack dab in the middle of a grand city such as Heliopolis?

Lacus frowned at the mention of lunch, only because that it was a reminder of how long she'd slept. At the mention of Haro, though, she seemed to brighten some. Haro was another girl, not much younger than Lacus who was also part of their organization, though she did busy work and menial tasks most of the time if she couldn't drape herself over Lacus' shoulder since neither she nor Athrun wanted the younger girl to actually take part in their practice. Mir waved as she began to walk out of the room, her shoes making a soft clicking on the smooth tile floor. "I won't forget to tell her that you want jello," the woman teased from the doorway. Lacus grimaced.

Once Miriallia had left, Lacus had taken to staring out the window, then up at the ceiling when that proved to only bore her more. Haro came to see her not long after, and the two spent some relatively quiet time in one another's company which was rather surprising on Haro's part. Haro was a strange girl, with medium length, bright pink hair. She used to have regularly dyed it so many different colors that no one remembered what the original shade had been, though after befriending Lacus, she'd settled on bright pink. She often wore her hair up, but it usually always framed her cherub face and the color actually went well with her dark ruby eyes. Though rather talkative and straight forward, the girl had a strange respect and devotion towards Lacus, and the older had come to see her akin to a younger sister.

When Miriallia returned, she'd gone to usher Haro out, which was a rather difficult task with the young girl squirming and snapping that she shouldn't have to leave. Sure enough, an argument evolved between them as usual; something about Miriallia feeling that Haro didn't respect her authority while the younger girl shrieked about being treated as a child. It wasn't till Lacus snapped at the both of them, rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance that Haro shut up quickly and nearly skipped out of the medical room. Miriallia sighed at her departure, grumbling to herself about kids these days, despite barely being much older than Haro herself.

"So, can I leave or do I have some other strange drug in my system you need to test me for?" Lacus asked, boredom evident in her voice.

"Hm…that depends, what have you been taking while I was gone?" Miriallia teased with a sly grin, chuckling at Lacus' unamused glare. "Really, you're free to go, though try not to strain yourself if you feel any weakness or discomfort. We're not sure how long it'll take for the tranquilizer to fully leave your system."

"Mm, great news, now let me out of here already." Lacus asked, eying the short haired woman with a leer that was very impatient.

"Fine, but Zala wants to see you in his office at four later." Miriallia informed her, looking over a paper on her clipboard.

"Always does," the long haired assassin mumbled to herself as she gladly pulled the IV from her hand, along with the pads monitoring her heartbeat and other such things that Miriallia had so painstakingly reapplied hours ago. The doctor looked as though she wished to protest, but Lacus was already cheerfully strolling out of the medical room, uncaring about the thin hospital gown that didn't quite close fully in the back. Miriallia sighed to herself, rubbing her temple with one hand while tapping her clipboard with the other.

* * *

After returning to her room on one of the higher floors of the building, Lacus had immediately gone to her bathroom where a nice familiar shower was awaiting her. She'd already taken the steps to prepare for her return, and a bottle of hair dye removal shampoo was eagerly awaiting her use. Afterwards, she pulled her hair back into a loose braid and dressed in a tank top and comfortable shorts. Grabbing one of the many water bottles from her apartment's refrigerator, she was on her way to the training room, eager to get back into some semblance of her routine.

When she wasn't on a mission, she usually would go to the training room located on one of the very top floors of the building every other day. To all the occupants within, the tall skyscraper was known as the Roost. It was rather appropriate, given that the newly famous assassin Nightingale made her nest there, or rather, it was made for her. The building held regular offices for the cover up business that went on in the lower floors, but there was also a training gym, two kitchens on two different floors, and quite a few apartments for the other workers. What exactly their jobs were, well, they were much like Nightingale though not as popular and not as closely monitored by the media.

Ever since Athrun had found a way to exploit her talents even further, Lacus had somehow become a celebrity of an assassin, if the term could even be used as such. Police had much of their efforts focused on capturing her, and the public had mixed views on her, supporting her for murdering a cruel or corrupt figure, or flaming her for 'unjustly' killing an important figure in society. Much of the politics fell on whether her target had been a Natural or a Coordinator. Often, she was hired by the well connected to take out a political figure or merely someone who held a good deal of money that supposedly belonged in another's pocket. Lacus didn't mind much, but the lifestyle was trying, and she knew she didn't want to do it forever. It seemed Athrun's occasional and rare, always broken promises of a target being the last were beginning to crack her patience.

When the elevator doors opened, Lacus stepped out into the training gym which was filled with its usual sounds. Some of her coworkers, if they could be called that, were sparring or just working out, and others sat or stood conversing with each other with a glistening of sweat on their skin – evidence of a hard workout. She herself stepped over towards the sparring mats and gestured to one woman who was resting. She nodded back, took a drink from her water bottle, and stepped over, slipping in a mouth guard.

They waited, assessing each other as they slowly circled the mat, lifting their fists close to their face in case the other should try and surprise her opponent. Lacus struck first, never liking to wait, and the woman slipped away, countering with a swing of her arm which Lacus deflected and tried to use the woman's weight against her as she pushed her away. She held her ground and instead kicked out at Lacus, narrowly missing her hip as the long haired girl slipped away just in time.

Their sparring went on for nearly seven minutes, neither looking very tired, but sweat had begun collecting on the back of their necks and above their eyes. Lacus winced when the woman's fist caught her in the stomach when they had somehow gotten locked together, but she quickly retaliated by using her knee to push the other away and then kick out towards the woman's elbow. A look of mild pain crossed her face and the woman went as though to rub where she'd been hit. But Lacus jumped her and pulled her into a tight, restraining hold that with just the right movement could break the woman's neck.

Breathing heavily and feeling blood pumping quickly through her veins, Lacus released her, and patted her shoulder. The woman grinned back and took out her mouth guard before going to retrieve her water bottle. Lacus did the same, and looked over to see that a small audience had begun watching them. It wasn't unusual for others to watch their comrades spar, it was actually a good learning technique. Two had eager faces, and Lacus nodded to one, this time a man. She'd actually worked with him before on an assignment, and seeing that he wasn't completely ripped knew that she'd have a good chance given her speed.

The girl was no idiot, and despite the condition of her body being in peak physical shape, she knew that with her wiry muscles, she couldn't take on any and every man she wanted with nothing but fists. An unfair fact, but fact nonetheless. She wouldn't allow herself to make a bad judgment just because she felt lucky or thought that she could make up for her size with speed.

After spending some time in the gym, Lacus finally felt that the workout had been worthwhile, and her muscles sighed in joy at being pushed to their limits once more. She'd taken on a few more challenges with somewhat short breaks in between, and had won quite a few of the matches. Of course, as time went on she became more tired, but it would obviously be impossible to win every fight. Retiring back to her room, accompanied by the woman she'd sparred with earlier who had an apartment on the same floor, Lacus mentioned she'd like to take another shower and go sleep for a bit.

"That does sound nice," the woman commented. Lacus had finally remembered her name not too long after their match, and recalled that Shiho was quite versatile when it came to her work. Mostly covert, if Lacus' memory served her right. "I'd rather take a bath though, with mineral salts," the brunette added cheerfully.

Bidding goodnight to one another, they parted ways and Lacus returned to her apartment thoroughly pleased. Showering to get rid of the sweat and to soothe her muscles, she made her way to her bed and burrowed underneath the covers, making sure that her alarm was set early enough so that she could meet with Athrun. It gave her about five hours to sleep, and she was rather looking forward to it.

* * *

Athrun's office had never really struck Lacus as anything special, but merely as a cold, unfeeling place with plush carpets and comfortable furniture that was rarely ever used. Athrun Zala sat behind his finely crafted mahogany desk with three laptop monitors before him, two less than usual. Lacus noted that it was probably due to a lull in work, or his workday hadn't quite gotten started yet.

"When do you actually sleep, Athrun?" Lacus asked upon entering, making her way to the cushioned leather chair sat before his desk. The man's bright green eyes fell upon her with one of those looks that seemed amused, but not quite in a pleasant way.

"When no one is watching, Lacus," he replied back, his lips pulling into a slight grin. The girl was a bit surprised, since he usually wasn't in so good a mood, but she noticed that they were in fact alone in his office, and none of his assistants was perched in a corner, ready to fly in to do his bidding when called.

"I see, big brother is still using his old tricks," she quipped back, settling into the chair comfortably, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them so that she could rest her chin on her knees. An odd sitting habit, but one she'd not been able to shake over the years.

"Hm," Athrun hummed, glancing back at one of his monitors, raven blue hair falling over an eye. Lacus glanced around his desk, at how sparse it was. Nothing that would show personality, except for the tall glass vase of red lilies that provided the only source of color in the room. In Athrun's own living quarters, she'd only been there a few times, he had a similar desk, though not as grand, and it was filled with odd trinkets and old photos from the past that he'd "Put on a shelf," as he so put it. Fragments of robotic parts and old tools littered the desktop, from what she remembered, and the metal structure of a bird had been half completed last she remembered.

There was one photo that she'd liked especially, though. It was from some time ago, when she was much younger and far more innocent, and when she suspected Athrun still had a heart. Lenore Zala, Athrun, and Lacus had posed at the beach for the photo, and it was like a link into the past. Truthfully, she had the same photo framed in her apartment, but seeing that Athrun still had it, well, it had comforted her some.

After waiting for what she believed to be long enough, Lacus cleared her throat, drawing the older man's attention. "So, I'm here and ready to listen to whatever it was you wanted to tell me. Feel like getting to it already?" she asked, somewhat annoyed though there was a grin on her lips. It was fun to poke at Athrun when she knew it wouldn't be considered breaking their rules. As Nightingale, she was just Athrun's favorite assassin who wouldn't disrespect him, especially before his other workers. When no one was around, she could speak with him as comfortably as she liked, as though they were like brother and sister once more.

"Obviously, I have another assignment for you." Athrun answered, looking up from his work and brushing his bangs away from his eyes. When Lacus gave him a look that clearly showed her annoyance, he smiled. "Oh, but it shouldn't be nearly as strenuous as you think," he added, turning one of the laptops around to face her. Lacus eyes the screen warily, familiar with target information, but confused by the news video paused on the screen.

"What am I supposed to do? Kill a newscaster?" she asked curiously, eying him.

"Actually, you'll be going back to school," Athrun replied, his smile widening. Lacus was clearly unamused.

"A teacher then?" she muttered, though judging from Athrun's look, she knew she'd guessed wrong again.

"You'll be protecting someone this time," he began to explain, pointing at a figure in the video clip. Lacus eyed it more closely, and her eyes widened. "Ulen Hibiki of PLANTS Research Institute has requested, with a generous donation, that the Nightingale be the one to protect his son Kira Hibiki, current third year student at Heliopolis Preparatory Academy, from any and all possible dangers or threats."

Lacus was still rather surprised, but hearing the name of the rather famous private high school, she leered distastefully towards Athrun.

"Oh, don't worry, the uniforms are cute."

**I think I like where I'm taking this…with the long break, not only has my style gotten better, but the original idea has fermented and become precious to me like a fine wine. I have a feeling that if **_**For You and I**_** finishes before this, **_**Assassin Angel **_**will comfort the hole that will be left in my heart. Readers, I've got some good stuff planned, so I hope you stick with me and always review when you can. Hope to see a lot of you in the review box soon!**

**Sam**


	3. Commence Mission

**Assassin Angel**

Yay, reviews! And yes, to join in with you, IT'S ALIVE! And **muibadah**, to reassure you, I don't think not writing made me better, it's just that the time between when this was first started, and how far I've come from that in my style and thought process just makes for a better read…in my opinion anyway. **ReplicaRiku'sgirl**, just to clarify, I did mean third year as in senior. Good eye for catching that, though. And I'd like to apologize for Lacus' inconsistencies in her personality, since I'm not quite sure what I'll make her true personality yet, though you can all just assume she's a great actress for now, since it's not far from the truth.

**Commence Mission**

Sitting in a car that was so unnoticeable, it blended in with the rest of the traffic that lived upon Heliopolis' streets; Lacus was begrudgingly going over her mission file once more. With her laptop settled on her knees, she lazily scrolled through the seemingly endless information. None of it was very new or very interesting, much of it focusing on Ulen Hibiki rather than her charge, Kira, which only served to irk her.

Much of the information alluded to and described some previous attempts on Hibiki's life, but that wasn't anything surprising. Being a Coordinator in a predominantly Natural population was a sure fire way to get you on someone's black list. But to make matters worse, for Hibiki at least, he was one of the head researchers at his firm, and his research was only available enough to know that it went towards promoting Coordinators, and advancing them even further.

Being a Coordinator, Lacus had sometimes wondered if that meant taking their side in the discrimination battles, but she could never find the right reasons to find any right on either edge of the knife. On one side, she was welcomed only because her parents had decided to have her modified before she was really anything of significance. On the other, she was hated and scorned, envied even, by those who'd been born naturally and who feared and were disgusted by the practices performed on the cells that became more Coordinators.

She'd always hated the politics, and despised the Naturals sometimes for so vehemently hating her, and sometimes hated her own for their airs of superiority. They were all human; every single one of them, but that never meant anything. Nothing except room for human flaws.

Nonetheless, Hibiki had recently uncovered a breakthrough with a new hidden chromosome, Lacus had never really been particularly advanced in such chemistry and science, but many scientific heads were spinning in joy, while others plotted hatefully off to the side. Apparently, her client had received some disturbing messages concerning his son, and after Lacus had sifted through some of the attached files, even she became disgusted.

Turning to the files that actually _were_ about Kira, she looked over the information again, wanting to be sure she was mentally prepared. Given that Kira Hibiki was a Coordinator, his gifts surpassed even those standards, and he was an excellent student, receiving very high marks. He'd apparently been part of a few clubs as well, but given what she knew, Lacus wasn't surprised to have read that his father had taken him out of them not too recently. The school may have been a somewhat safe place, given the security it held, but Lacus knew long before this mission that very few buildings held enough security measures to be completely safe.

Glancing out the car window, Lacus frowned at the scenery that slowly was fading from the urban city sights, to the secluded suburbia of the rich and wealthy as the car wound its way into the gated community the Hibiki Estate was located. It was pretty, she'd admit, and from the maps she'd looked over just the other day, there was a lake that stretched around the peninsula that the manor was situated upon. She was looking forward to seeing it.

Ulen had supposedly arranged for a student exchange program in which Lacus would come to live in his home while attending Heliopolis Preparatory Academy for her studies. Though Lacus had memorized her back story, it was rather boring. Athrun hadn't even given her a new identity; she'd merely be Lacus Clyne, daughter of two average Coordinators whose names mattered little to her. She'd at least hoped Athrun would have given her a different last name, since questions often arose that made her uncomfortable. Perhaps it was a test in social blending.

Being reminded that her last name was so similar to the Clyne family; Lacus had usually pushed it off or ignored the inquiry. Never admitting, almost always denying it. This time, she'd have to play a young student who couldn't possibly care about the late Clyne family. Speaking of being a student…

Lacus found herself fuming towards Athrun, the moment he revealed that he'd already prepared for her mission, including much of the paperwork with the school and the retrieval of her school uniform and gym uniform. The school colors weren't horrid, at least, and contrary to the opinion of those on television, the skirt was a comfortable length down to her knees. The current seasonal uniform consisted of a white blouse and gray blazer with a red tie, and a green plaid skirt that didn't look as bad as one might have thought. But wearing a school uniform and going back to school, that was what had the young woman angry.

Just turned twenty, she still had the body of a teenager, having inherited petite and slim features from her mother, along with possibly genetic modifications. It actually made her perfect for some missions where looking younger would help, but this would be the first in a long while where she was actually going to be attending school. Not only that, of course, but she'd have to study again, do homework, and though a small part of her had wanted to weep for joy, having never finished her high school years in a classroom, she didn't want to go back now.

Following some eighteen year old boy around everywhere for almost every waking moment wasn't necessarily her idea of a good mission, and Athrun had crashed her hopes even more so when he revealed that the time she spent there would be indefinite, and until Hibiki called it off, stopped paying, or fell out of Athrun's interests, she was stuck babysitting his son.

"Miss Lacus, we've arrived," the driver spoke up suddenly, pulling Lacus out of her thoughts and back to the present where she was sitting in a stopped car, looking rather startled. The man smirked slightly, and Lacus narrowed her eyes at him. He was one of her colleagues from Roost, though he'd been assigned to be her driver for the charade of her arriving, if only for a bit of added protection, and it just made everything much more convenient. Nonetheless, Lacus gathered her laptop, typing in a password that would impossibly encrypt any files only her eyes were to see, and then shut it down before placing it in a bag whose strap she slung over her shoulder. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the door for her, and she stepped out, pulling up a smile to thank him, already slipping into the shoes of her role.

As the driver went to go get her bags from the trunk of the car, Lacus gazed up at the manor, not really surprised to see a grand house before her, but impressed nonetheless. It was an old Victorian style with beautiful woodwork, columns, and a wrap around porch, with balconies on the second story and flower boxes from many of the windows. Guessing from the condition of the front yard, Lacus knew that they must have very skilled gardeners. When the man returned to her side carrying her bags like a good chauffeur would, they began walking towards the house.

Before they could take one more step towards the front stairs, though, the front doors opened and out stepped the infamous Ulen Hibiki with his wife, Via, at his side. Both held pleasant welcoming looks on their faces, though Ulen, once looking over Lacus quickly, seemed unable to hide all of his surprise. This only made Lacus grin on the inside. Looking over the older blonde man, Lacus' gaze shifted to his wife. Via was a beautiful woman, no doubt, with long auburn hair and soft golden eyes. The long haired assassin knew that Kira must have inherited some of her looks, but his father's eyes it would seem.

Reaching the front steps, Lacus smiled brightly to them, her clear blue gaze falling on Ulen for a moment before a bit of shyness seemed to take place over her face. One hand fiddled with her skirt, an old habit from childhood she'd been encouraged to stop holding back.

"It's nice to meet you, ." she greeted in a clear, but innocent voice. "Thank you so much for opening your home to me," she added, bowing slightly in respect.

"Dear Lacus, it is our pleasure!" Via replied, reaching out to gently place her hands on the girl's shoulders to pull her into a friendly embrace, the surprised look on the slighter girl's face hidden in the woman's blouse.

"Yes, you coming here is surely a light of good in the gloomy darkness we've trudged through these past few months," Ulen added, one hand resting on the back of his wife.

After a few more pleasantries were exchanged, Ulen suggested they let Lacus come and settle in. The driver nodded, and set the bags down in the front foyer, bidding a polite farewell to Lacus before departing. Once alone, Ulen asked his wife where Kira was, and Lacus felt herself tense, but in a way that her body felt ready for anything on a moment's notice. Kira was her mission, protecting him was the only thing she was to allow in her thoughts. It wasn't odd that she'd feel alert at the mention of him.

Via thought for a moment, before revealing that he'd gone on a walk by the lake, promising to be back before dinner. Ulen nodded, and then asked her how dinner was coming along. Though Lacus suspected that they had hired help for everything, Via seemed to start in realization, and excused herself, rushing off towards where Lacus presumed was the kitchen. Perhaps she was more involved than Lacus suspected.

"Now, why don't I give you the tour?" Ulen asked, though both of them knew very well that Lacus had already memorized the floor plans of their house, knew where every room was, where every vent led to, and anything else of that nature. It was a rather basic step that all agents knew to do if they had the time and opportunity. Lacus nodded, and followed the man up a grand winding staircase to the second floor, where they walked through gently decorated hallways till they reached two double doors that were locked with an electronic device that could only be unlocked with a key card. Ulen pulled a card from his pocket and swiped it, opening the doors so that Lacus could walk in first.

The room was a large study; the tall windows reinforced with what Lacus guessed were thick glass, probably bulletproof. It held an air of novelty to it, possibly stemming from the bookcases lining the shelves and the fireplace on one side of the room. There was a desk on the far end of the room, and a chair before it. Lacus chose to stand by it while Ulen took his place by his desk, absently pushing a few papers around the surface. When he grew bored, he looked up at her again, and his eyes gave that same surprised look from before, though he looked a bit more impressed, now.

"I see…so Nightingale is a young girl, this is a surprise. One so young, and yet so dangerous," Ulen murmured to himself. Lacus didn't correct him, and knew that he had very little information on her. For all he knew, she was wearing a wig and contacts, and he apparently thought she really was a teenager. There was no need for anyone to know who Nightingale was, unless they were the police, and even if they were able to communicate with her, fear of a bullet in the head or a knife in your back tended to keep the curiosity of clients low.

"You're a Coordinator, if I'm not mistaken?" Lacus nodded solemnly, seeing the pleased look on Ulen's face. "Ah, of course…Would you happen to know who your technicians were?" Given the impatient look from Lacus, Ulen waved a hand, dismissing his question. "Hm, never mind…It is of no matter. But you will do well…given your reputation serves well on its word?"

At that, Lacus nodded, which seemed to be enough of an answer for Ulen. "I must say, though," he began, not seeming to be quite over his excitement. "Your…how would I say it, Boss? He chose an interesting identity for you, picking the same name as Siegel's daughter. He was a fine man, fine specimens of Coordinators he and Marianne were, but much too foolish wishing to bring Coordinators and Naturals together. Unrealistic ideals never take a man anywhere," Ulen mumbled. Lacus wondered if the man was a touch eccentric. He struck her as a prideful, chauvinistic narcissist.

"Truly, a wolf in sheep's clothing," the blonde man muttered, turning back to his desk. The folded laptop that sat atop it made a sound much like it had received a message, and the man sighed to himself. "Off with you then, I've my work to do, and you have yours. I'm sure you don't need my telling you what you're to do, so go on," he said waving her off disinterestedly now that he seemed to be more absorbed in an email than the deadly assassin standing not but four feet away. Lacus nodded, and turned to leave the strange man behind.

Lacus had already been told which room would be hers, and after retrieving her bags from downstairs, she set them down in the room and took a quick look around. The girl was a bit surprised to find it furnished in such a manor, since she'd honestly been expecting a sparse guest room. Though, given the distinctly feminine touch, the girl suspected it was Via's doing. Tartan curtains hung from the windows, their colors soft creams and russet browns to match the warm feeling of the room. The furniture was a matching wood set, stained a dark color to match the colors of the room. Her bed was moderately sized, and had far too many pillows Lacus decided, eyeing them. Everything appeared to be of a set, so it all matching accordingly. A white vase stood tall on the vanity table, bright yellow daffodils and some red flower Lacus couldn't name arranged within.

Setting about removing some equipment from one of her suitcases, Lacus set up her laptop on the vanity, and used a few codes provided by Athrun in the information profiles to access the Hibiki Manor security feeds. She'd made sure that Athrun handled asking Hibiki to have small cameras placed in all rooms of his home so that she could have eyes everywhere. As far as the more private rooms of the house, Lacus planned to dim the video enough and rely mostly upon the audio. Ulen had refused cameras in his private rooms, especially his office and the lab located underneath the house, but Lacus was not concerned, she was only told to concern herself with Kira. There were also cameras placed around the estate, and Lacus made sure that her access to them was satisfactory. Satisfied, she decided to unpack the clothes she'd been given for this mission.

Only a few of them were her own outfits, as Athrun had gotten someone to create a wardrobe typical to an average in-the-know teenage girl. Lacus didn't really have any complaints, though she had gone through much of the clothing and tossed out whatever she greatly disliked. For the most part, whoever was Athrun's personal shopper had done well. When the closet and dresser drawers were stocked up and the bags put away, Lacus decided she'd get a better look around the outside of the manor.

Making her way from her room, down the hall and staircase, and just as quickly out the front door, Lacus paused outside, trying to guess which way to go first to see the lake. Recalling the maps, she turned towards the garden towards the right of the house. Via had mentioned dinner would be ready soon, but Lacus guessed that gave her about twenty minutes to look around. The weather was nice, despite the cold spell that had passed over Heliopolis. Crossing her arms, Lacus absently rubbed the soft material of her sweater. Her outfit was actually rather comfortable, which was the reason she'd chosen it for the drive over. The sweater was a creamy white, and her pleated skirt was a dark pink in contrast. With high stockings and comfortable clogs, Lacus felt rather relaxed, and given the scenery as she made her way to the back of the house, it was almost like she could forget the fact that she was a hired gub. Grinning amusedly to herself, she shook her head.

* * *

Walking down a stone pathway that Lacus saw led down towards a large dock, the long haired girl wondered if Kira spent much time out here. Given her immediate liking to the scenery and atmosphere of the garden, the girl would really have no complaints if she was to spend time out here as well. Coming closer to the dock, Lacus stopped and gazed out over the water. But not long after, she was broken out of her thoughts when the loud barking of a dog met her ears, and alerted her to the animal's approach. Feeling her body tense and jerking around towards the direction she heard the sound, the girl widened her eyes when she saw a white form racing towards where she stood.

The dog barked again as it neared, leaping towards the girl in all its blazing glory, a young man rushing after it. But Lacus only spared him a glance before her eyes were drawn to the dog once more. Able to make out the details of it, she knew what sort of breed it was, despite the white coloring being a bit strange. German Shepard. The girl felt a bit of a tremble in her knees, and took a small step back, unable to take her eyes off the dog. Parts of her body throbbed as she subconsciously recollected her last encounter with a dog, or more like it, four dogs.

A target she'd been after not too long ago had had guard dogs, vicious things made of only teeth and claws. She'd not quite expected them to be such trouble, but her gun had been knocked away and the beasts were fast little bastards. She didn't have any physical scars, but she remembered where the things had sunk their teeth into her arms and legs. Three of the dogs had been of the German Shepard breed. Now there was another one just a few feet away barking at her and she couldn't help notice the sharp teeth inside its mouth. Just because she was trained, it didn't at all mean that Lacus had no fear.

* * *

He didn't quite understand it. One minute, he was playing with his dog, and the next minute the thing was bolting off back towards the dock barking like a loon. Chasing after her quickly, the boy sighed in annoyance; his dog was so easily sidetracked. The young man was close behind the dog, though when he glanced up, he saw an unfamiliar figure standing not but some feet away, and knew that the white beast must have caught the girl's scent.

Catching up to where the dog had stopped to observe the girl, the young man was just behind it, staring between the girl and his dog. He noticed the ashen look on the girl's face, and quickly reached forward to take a solid grip on the dog's collar. Looking up at her, his pale violet gaze looked her over a few times, wondering who she was before he remembered. Transfer student. And then it hit him. Transfer student was apparently very afraid of dogs.

"Hey, you don't have to be scared," he offered apologetically. "Angel's a good dog, she doesn't bite," he added, but as though to prove him wrong, the dog struggled against his hold, growling a bit with her teeth bared while staring in Lacus' direction. His grip around her collar loosened just a little by accident, but that was all she needed before she bounded over the few steps towards the strange girl and was curiously sniffing her, her apparent hostility from earlier clearing. But Lacus wasn't completely convinced, still staring down at the beast with anxious eyes.

"I…I'm not scared," she replied back, trying to pull herself together once more. Able to get some semblance of control, she stepped back a bit from the dog, discouraged when the dog merely trotted towards her once again, looking up at her expectantly.

"She wants you to pet her, she won't leave you alone if you don't," the boy added, walking closer to try and reach for the dog's collar again. Lacus gazed down at the thing, _Angel_ he'd called it, and hesitantly reached out a hand, just barely brushing the dog's ear before she lifted her muzzle and pressed her cold nose to Lacus' hand, making the girl jerk back. The boy laughed, trying to pull the dog back some.

"I'm sorry," he said, holding out his free hand. "I'm Kira, I'm guessing you're the transfer student coming to stay with us?" he asked. Lacus stared at his hand for a moment, still a little shaken up by the dog, but took his hand anyway, nodding.

"Yes, I'm Lacus Clyne. It's nice to meet you, Kira," she replied, smiling slightly. '_Back into the role, back into the role,'_ Lacus just kept repeating the mantra in her head, urging herself to become the girl she needed to be. "Your home is lovely," she added, somewhat at a loss of what to say.

Kira's face colored some and he grinned back. "Thanks," he said, though Lacus could tell from the body language and his tone that he wasn't quite prideful of it. So he was modest…that wasn't a bad thing. Made protecting him easier if he was actually a person Lacus found worth protection.

"Oh, your mother said dinner would be ready soon…" Lacus pointed out, turning her head back towards the house. Kira's eyes widened and he glanced at his wristwatch, grinning nervously. Chuckling to himself, he murmured a soft command to Angel to sit before turning back to Lacus.

"I guess I lost track of the time…It's really relaxing out here, I guess it's kinda natural to not worry about time," he said, though from his tone he seemed to be searching for some agreement, or at least reassurance. Lacus felt some of her previous annoyances at taking the babysitting mission vanish. So far, the kid hadn't appeared to be a jerk, though Lacus was going to let the comment about her being scared slide.

"It is nice out here, very tranquil," she added, nodding slightly. Kira seemed a bit relieved, whether over an assurance that he wasn't lazy or that the girl didn't think him lazy, Lacus wasn't quite sure. She'd be learning how to read him from every little flinch to the smallest twitch of a finger within the next few days, then she might be able to figure him all out.

"Well then, we better get going!" Kira said, recalling the more important matter. "My mother doesn't like when anyone's late to dinner, she thinks it's the only time we spend as a family," the brown haired boy explained as they began to make their way back to the house.

Lacus was thoughtful for a moment, recalling all those times Lenore had chastised Athrun for being late to the table all those years ago. It was a rather happy thought, and made her lips pull into a small smile. She seemed able to ignore Angel for the most part, who was now trying to press her nose against Lacus' palm again. That would be something she'd have to work on, Lacus decided. Getting over her discomfort with dogs would be a good decision in the first place, but it would also make this mission easier.

Arriving back at the house, Lacus and Kira were met with Via, who stood waiting for them dressed in a different outfit than the long haired girl remembered. It was rather dressy…and as the woman began to chastise Kira about his lateness, the boy leaned over to say in the girl's ear, "_Mother says it's proper to dress up for dinner,_" though he didn't get to finish his sentence because Via caught him and was even more peeved that he wasn't paying attention to her. Stepping forward to try and straighten out the boy's wild mess of dark brown hair, the boy's mother smiled affectionately towards her son.

"Kira, what am I going to do with you?" she teased, but then turned to Lacus with a wide smile. "Dear Lacus, I'm not sure if you know, but we like to present ourselves nicely for dinner, especially when we have company. Now, the food is already on the table and getting cold as we speak, so I won't ask the two of you to change, but just to know in the future," Via explained, though Lacus couldn't help cringing slightly. Really…the woman was a piece of work, it seemed.

Being ushered by Via into the dining room, Lacus saw that the long table had plenty of chairs, but only four places were set at one end of a table. '_At least they eat relatively close…_' Lacus thought to herself, somewhat expecting one of those long tables with lonesome seats. Ulen was already sitting down, helping himself to the roast, though Via smacked his hand playfully, joking that he was as bad as their son. Lacus noticed amusedly as she said this that Kira reached towards the salad bowl and plucked a cherry from within, popping it into his mouth before his mother could see.

As it turned out, Lacus had been wrong about the hired help. During the meal, Via seemed to provide endless conversation, one of her conversation pieces being her pride in her skills as a chef. She apparently did some of the cleaning around the house by herself, but there was a woman who came once or twice a week to take care of the rest usually. Ulen seemed to do little else but smile at his wife, eat, and nod his head to whatever Via said. He asked Kira once about his studies, but it seemed like such a routine question, especially with Kira's short answer. "_Well._" Lacus sat quietly beside Kira, picking at her food out of old habit, but eating it nonetheless. It was quite good, she would admit.

Sitting next to Kira did come with a downside, and that was that Angel had sat herself between their chairs, resting her head on Kira's thigh. Lacus was a bit discomforted that the dog was so close, but it was a bit easier than she'd first thought to push it from her mind. Not to mention, Kira slipped bits of food to the dog, and Lacus couldn't really picture a bloodthirsty hound calmly and appreciatively licking someone's fingers after being offered a cherry from a salad. It seemed that Kira had a preference for the sweet, red fruit.

"Lacus, you went to public school? Are you a bit nervous about the transition into a private school, especially Heliopolis Preparatory Academy? It's quite the transition, certainly so if you went to a Natural school…" Via added, delicately stabbing an olive from her salad. Lacus merely smiled at the question.

"I'm sure I'll manage. Adapting to new things is a skill of mine," she added, though if she'd have glanced towards Ulen, she'd have seen his eyes narrow and his lips pulled into a humored smirk.

"Kira is always there to help you, of course," the woman added, smiling benignly. "He's quite the genius, and he's the president of the student council! They organize dances and other activities for the students…" Via gushed, clearly proud of her child. Kira seemed to grow stiff in his seat, and poked at the food on his plate he'd meant to eat just a moment ago.

"Used to be, mother," he murmured quietly, "I stepped down, so Tolle's president now," he added. Via bristled.

"Kira, I don't know why you're friends with that boy, nothing but trouble! A Natural, president of the student council? Ridiculous…" the woman muttered under her breath. But the gloom from her face melted when she looked back to Lacus. "Oh, but I'm so excited that you're here, Lacus! It'll be like I finally have a daughter of my own. I can take you shopping with me, and there won't be so much complaining," the woman said, emphasizing the last word as she sent a glance towards her son and husband. Lacus smiled at the offer, but didn't quite say anything either.

"Can I be excused?" Kira asked after a few moments, looking to his mother. Via paused for a moment, eying his plate that still held some food, but consented. Lacus asked as well, and was also given permission to leave the table.

She carried her plate to the kitchen and placed it in the sink where Kira had placed his, and glanced at him as he stood digging through what she guessed was the pantry. When he emerged, he held a box of cereal under his arm, and gave Angel a pat. Grinning over to Lacus, the boy shifted his grip on the box.

"Do you need help settling in or anything like that, Lacus?" Kira offered, violet eyes noticing her thoughtful expression beforehand. The girl shook herself out of her thoughts and shook her head with another smile.

"No, I actually unpacked my things already," she replied. "Do you plan on doing anything?" she asked after a moment, appearing curious. Kira shook his head.

"Just plan on taking this up to my room to snack on while I read." he answered, gesturing towards the box, and then there was nothing left to say.

* * *

Returning to her room, Lacus searched for something to wear for sleeping, and decided that as long as Kira was just in his room, she really didn't have much else to do. Holding her clothes over her arm and grabbing a small bag she'd left by the door, she left her room to go to the bathroom just across the hall. After a shower, she'd contact Athrun, and after that…she didn't know what she'd do. Lacus hadn't really thought to bring any books, and watching television didn't seem all that appealing. She supposed that she'd merely just go to sleep early.

It was Saturday, so she'd have tomorrow to better acquaint herself with Kira, and then they'd be going to school. In the time being, she doubted she'd have to work all that hard. After taking a nice hot shower, the girl toweled off and pulled her hair up atop her head in a messy bun before dressing in a silk pajama shirt and matching pants. She was more used to her oversized t-shirts, but these weren't horrible either.

Accessing her laptop, Lacus typed in the necessary codes and then sent a message to Athrun, since she'd received none from anyone else. All she typed were two words, not very important or extravagant, but they served their purpose: _Mission Commenced_. Now, just to sleep…that sounded really nice about then.


	4. School Day

**Assassin Angel**

**A/N**: Author's note at the bottom so it's easier to choose whether or not to listen to me.

_**Disclaimer**_: From here on in, let it be known that I own nothing. If this status should miraculously change, you all shall be the first to know.

**School Day**

Monday morning proved no different than Sunday for Lacus, and each day she had woken at four, completed a regimen of basic exercises such as pushups and crunches, showered, dressed, and made her way downstairs for a quick breakfast. Only today she was dressed in her school uniform, blazer included and buttoned as well. She'd sewn in a thin strap of light material on the inside for holding a small weapon, but had not equipped herself yet.

The school would have metal detectors at all gates and entrances, so Lacus had had to carefully and strategically figure which school supplies could become vanilla disguises for weapons. She knew a math compass was her best bet, but she'd also hidden a few blades as pencil sharpeners, and one pen really did have a blade on the inside rather than ink. Her scissors were all easily dismantled, and both pairs were placed innocently in a pencil case. Though she felt uncomfortable with the situation, the young woman was certain she'd be fine. Besides, Athrun had messaged her just last night and had told her he was able to slip in a few agents as staff at the school, though he warned her that she wouldn't recognize any of them. Her one comfort was that at a single call or text from her cell phone would bring the nearest agent running.

But, she turned her mind away from business matters and turned it instead upon her meager breakfast of a bagel with strawberry jam spread and jasmine tea. Via had made it clear yesterday that Lacus had free range of whatever she pleased within the kitchen, but the blue eyed girl had never had much of a huge appetite and couldn't bring herself to abuse the privilege out of spite. Taking a sip from her tea and a bite of the bagel, the trained killer looked out the wide kitchen windows at the scenery. The kitchen had a beautiful view of the lake, and given the early time, Lacus found herself appreciating the calming landscape.

It was around that time that a quickly becoming familiar sound reached her ears, and that was the jingling of collar tags and trimmed canine claws on hardwood as it drew nearer. Looking up towards the doorway, Lacus watched as the white German Shepherd entered the kitchen, shortly followed by her young master. Kira looked like he'd just slept twenty minutes on a stone floor for how rested he looked. His hair stuck up at all angles, his pajama shirt was creased and wrinkled, and his pants looked as though the waistband had turned too far to the side. He'd looked much like this Saturday morning as well. Lacus assumed she had allowed a quizzical look to slip past because Kira forced back a yawn while smiling embarrassingly.

"Wow, you're up…_and ready_…pretty early," he said, just a bit of awkwardness filling the air between them. At least, that's what it felt like to him, because Lacus seemed to hardly bothered by the interaction.

"It's a habit," she said quickly, turning back to her breakfast. She had considered going over the feed from Kira's room last night, and the night before, but just as her last assumption, she decided that she didn't want to intrude on his privacy when she didn't have to. There were sensors and other cameras elsewhere that could alert her to any danger towards her charge, she didn't need to watch him every night as he slept. Besides, she thought with a sniff, 'He's an eighteen year old boy, what are the most logical options as to why he'd look so disheveled?'

Much to Lacus' discomfort, Angel trotted right over towards her and rested her furry head on the girl's thigh. Kira glanced over from where he was riffling through the pantry for cereal, and he chuckled. "She's taken a shine to you," he said carefully, his tone assuring the girl that he could pull the dog away if she wanted him too.

"I-I see…" was all she replied back as she eyed the dog warily. Her discomfort was being kicked by her common sense, seeing as how no creature with doe eyes like this canine's could be a feral beast…but the memory of dog fangs in her flesh still rang strong. Angel suddenly perked up when Kira whistled quietly, and leapt towards the boy, tail wagging expectantly as she sat at his feet while he stood by the counter. Lacus turned to see that he was giving her the same breakfast of wet dog food as yesterday. Before the boy poured himself some cereal, he watched his pet eat for a moment and ruffled the soft white fur atop her head.

Chewing a mouthful of bagel, Lacus observed him through masked eyes.

* * *

Lacus wasn't surprised to see that Kira had a personal driver who took him to and from school. She was even less surprised to recognize the model of the car. Athrun had one just like it for when he had to leave the Roost himself to go meet an important client personally. When Athrun left his post, it was always a very serious affair, and it seemed to finally be meeting Lacus' understanding of just how important her job here really was.

"Lacus, are you all right? Forget something?" Kira asked curiously.

Glancing over at her charge, Lacus almost missed the fact that Kira was trying to be chivalrous and allowing her to get into the car first. A slight flush crossed her face and she shook her head before she ducked in quickly, not liking that her charge was behind her. Kira slid in onto the leather seat beside her and pulled the door closed. Leaning back into the familiar seat, Lacus pulled on the seat-belt as a quick afterthought realizing that Kira was doing so as well. She was far used to riding without one in such a car.

Not that she knew the mechanics of it, again, it wasn't something the assassin felt she needed to be knowing, but she understood the comparisons Athrun had made when he explained his transportation to her. It was much like a steel turtle shell with bulletproof windows. Except, rather than one layer of shell protecting the soft fleshy inside, there were multiple layers that required a specific design and material to not make the car look ridiculously bulky yet still function as a protection vehicle and retain necessary acceleration power.

Athrun also had a saying about seat-belts and the car. '_If this car can't protect me well enough, what's the point of a seat-belt?_' Nonetheless, Lacus rode the rest of the way with one hand over the buckle, fingers ready to press the release. _Just in case…_

* * *

Pulling up about a block away from the school, Kira thanked his driver and stepped out, quickly apologizing to Lacus.

"I know you probably expected to be driven all the way up to the school, but I like to walk the last bit of way since it brings less attention than that huge car," he explained nervously. Lacus merely smiled good naturedly.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't mind or anything, I can see why the car would attract stares," she said, falling into step beside the brunet as they started on their way to school. Though she'd near memorized every street and building in this area, the girl couldn't help looking around the street, noting how busy it was just that morning with people rushing to their jobs, and students dressed in the same uniform she and Kira wore heading in the same direction. Lacus guessed that the teenagers who weren't wearing uniforms were going to a public school. She had a conversational question on her lips that fell quickly when she turned to Kira to see him currently removing his own blazer, only to tie it around his waist.

Eyeing the sleeves, Lacus wondered if the creases she'd noticed earlier were permanently folded into the fabric. She said nothing when the boy loosened his tie, either. When Kira realized she was watching him, he grinned sheepishly and shrugged while folding his arms behind his head, his schoolbag hanging off his wrist.

"It gets pretty stifling after awhile," he admitted, earning a soft smile from the girl. "Aren't you worried that you might get too hot in this kind of weather if you wear your blazer like that?" Kira asked curiously.

Lacus shook her head.

"I'm used to it already, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem."

After she'd spoken, Kira smiled, and looked up suddenly, his violet eyes scanning the crowd. Lacus looked up, too, though for a far different reason. Her eyes narrowed and her hands felt tense when she reached for her school bag, fingers itching to lift her special pen from within where she'd placed it close to the top of the bag.

Another boy with curly brown hair was ducking through the crowd till he'd reached them panting and laughing. Lacus stared at him warily but assessed him as a minimal threat at best. Kira clapped the other on the shoulder and turned him to face Lacus.

"Tolle, this is Lacus Clyne, Lacus, this is Tolle Koenig," Kira said rather than an average greeting to his friend. "Lacus is a transfer student who'll be living with my family for the rest of the school year," Kira explained to Tolle who gazed at Lacus with wide eyes.

"Ah…nice t-to meet you, Miss Clyne," Tolle said, his blue eyes in awe of the young woman beside Kira. Lacus smiled back.

"Likewise, Mr. Koenig," she replied back, not offering any words that Tolle may refer to her familiarly.

The three then walked the rest of the way to school, Lacus trying to appear interested and absorbed as Tolle spoke of his weekend and how the Student Council had met up to make plans for the upcoming dance, but the young woman was discreetly examining the bystanders. No one looked particularly hostile, but that was what worried her.

"Hey Kira, I'm having a bit of trouble with my assignments as president, you think you could help me out sometime?" the brunet asked hopefully, clapping his hands together pleadingly. Kira laughed and nodded his head.

"Yeah, it'd be no problem," he admitted.

The trio had reached the school gates then, the three of them calmly handing over their school bags to the security personal and stepping one at a time through the metal detectors. Lacus didn't even bat an eye as she walked through, and accepted her bag back with a smile. It was when they'd reached the steps that Tolle hit his forehead with his palm, groaning.

"Oh man, I totally forgot! I need to go meet up with the art club before class! I'll see you later Kira, and Ms. Clyne," he added quickly, grinning at Lacus sheepishly before darting through the crowd, waving a greeting to every few students.

"He seems busy," Lacus noted, looking up to Kira. It was a little peevish for her that he was just tall enough that she'd have to look up at him slightly.

"Well, it's a pretty busy job," Kira replied with a grin. Lacus nodded and was quiet for a moment.

"Do you miss it?"

"H-huh?"

She looked at him. "Do you miss being Student Council President?"

"Oh…" he said, stopping his footsteps for a moment to absently scratch his cheek. He grinned gently and turned to her before saying, "I miss spending more time with everyone, but I don't really miss the job…"

Pursing her lips but trying to keep a docile expression, Lacus said nothing. She couldn't help feeling that he'd lied.

* * *

Kira was quick about bringing Lacus to the office and her locker, though Lacus declined the offer of a quick tour. She pulled the map from the folder she'd gotten from the office and smiled. "I already know where everything is," she said, and Kira took it as a joke. It was thinking of a good reaction to finding that their schedules were exactly alike that stumped Lacus for a moment, but Kira shrugged it off, saying it was lucky for her.

"Now there'll be at least one person you know in each class," he assured her kindly, and Lacus tried to stay positive as she stared at the paper class schedule. Kira was in advanced classes…a lot of them…What made her just a bit nervous was seeing a Calculus AP class. When Lacus tested out of her final high school years, she'd only had to meet the minimum requirements, and they hadn't even included Pre-Calculus…The girl didn't feel like analyzing the rest of the younger boy's classes, and tried to appear positive.

Whoever Athrun had instructed to take care of the educational aspect of Lacus' mission was not aware of the assassin's disinterest in academics, and must have made sure her records claimed she'd met the prerequisites for these classes…The young woman didn't want to think about sitting in those classes and trying to appear as though she knew what she was hearing. Really though, the bulky graphing calculator she'd found in her school supplies should have given her some hint as to what to expect.

The first class Kira brought her to was an advanced language class, so at least she'd have something she understood. Athrun and she had had a particular knack for picking them up, whether or not it was something programmed into their genes, and after Athrun created Roost, he'd encouraged Lacus to do some more studying. She was fluent in a handful of languages, and could get by well enough in a few more others, and she doubted that a simple high school, preparatory academy or not would have anything beyond her own skill level.

It was Kira who introduced Lacus to the teacher, and the woman seemed to already understand the transfer situation and didn't require much explanation. She smiled at Lacus and told her she'd make a portfolio of what they'd learned already for her. Nodding, Lacus followed Kira to his seat, and set her things down on the desk beside his when he said there was no assigned seating. She knew it wouldn't be the same for the rest or at least most of their other classes, but she'd cross those bridges when she came to them. Right now, she wanted to figure a discreet way for slipping her pen into the area of her blazer she'd made for it.

Before she could go about retrieving it from her bag, Lacus felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and she looked over to see Kira looking at her brightly. There were two boys standing near Kira that Lacus had passed off as minimal threats when she'd first seen them walking towards the desks, but now she saw that they were acquaintances of her charge. Looking them over again quickly, she saw that the blonde one wore amber-tinted glasses and held himself in an outwardly confident way, but she could tell from his kind but guarded expression he was insecure. The other boy with longish black hair didn't bother at all with guarding himself, and Lacus gave him a wide smile, watching when the visibly shy boy flinched and colored.

"Lacus, these are my friends Sai Argyle, and Kuzzey Buskirk," Kira said, pointing to the blonde and shy one respectively. "They're both members of the Student Council as well. Guys, this is Lacus Clyne, she's a transfer student who'll be staying with my family for awhile," Kira also explained for his friends. Lacus eyed the brunet with a grin.

"Kira, is that what you're going to say each time you introduce me to someone?" the girl asked, watching amusedly when Kira flushed slightly from embarrassment and lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck.

He'd done that several times on Sunday while he and his family spent time getting to know Lacus and vice versa through a "family picnic day" as Via had named it. Lacus could conclude for certain now that it was a reaction to nervousness or embarrassment, not much unlike his thoughtful reaction when he scratched his cheek or rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"So Lacus, where did you transfer from?" Sai asked curiously, but he didn't get an answer before the bell rang and the teacher called for their attention.

Lacus sat quietly in her seat, pulling a notebook out and her pencil case, choosing that moment to slip the pen with its hidden blade inside her blazer. Glancing from the corner of her eye, she concluded no one noticed or thought much of it, and flipped her notebook open just as Kira leaned over and tapped her elbow. She didn't quite flinch, but Lacus noticed that each time Kira had initiated such contact; she'd had very minimal negative response. It was a good thing that she wasn't bothered since it would make attuning herself to him easier.

"We started Russian not too long ago, if you want to see my notes, just let me know," he said quietly with that same friendly smile. She nodded and smiled back, but didn't ask for them as she turned to stare up at the teacher who was writing something on the board. Lacus had learned Russian when she was seventeen, she was sure she'd remember it well enough to get through this easily.

* * *

For the rest of the morning classes, Lacus had not been so lucky as the language class, and she guessed it would only be getting worse. Kira had introduced her to a few more students, but Lacus guessed they weren't all regular friends since he didn't offer much but their names or club statuses. She noticed that he colored slightly each time he mentioned her being a transfer student, but she just smiled. As she had suspected, in the other classes, she'd not been so lucky to be seated beside Kira, and in the Calculus class she sat a few columns away. By the time lunch was rolling around, Lacus knew not to expect anything getting better, but she didn't quite expect the next friend Kira introduced her to.

The school was a building in a wide square shape with an open center for the quad, dotted with tall trees, a large circular fountain, and picnic tables where students could eat or do homework. There was a medium sized, one story building that branched from the northern half of the school into the quad, and this was where the cafeteria and culinary classes were located. The quad held access to all sides of the school, and it made for easier navigation than running in circles and up and down flights of stairs in the two story school building, and also served as a meeting place for students.

Kira was leading Lacus towards the center fountain; Kuzzey on Kira's other side, he having met them outside of their last classroom. Glancing over, Lacus could recognize Sai and Tolle sitting on the fountain edge waiting, but there was also a red haired girl sitting beside Sai and participating in the conversation. When Tolle glanced up and saw them approaching, he jumped up and waved towards them, making the other two look up as well. Kira grinned and returned the gesture.

Reaching the fountain, Lacus smiled to Tolle who greeted her by offering his hand hesitantly, and then dropping it awkwardly when Lacus glanced at his hand warily. The brunet didn't make much of it, and Lacus didn't find it important since no one else noticed. Her pale gaze fell on the red head then, and saw that the girl was staring at her with a narrowed gray gaze, a not very pleasant expression pulling at the corners of her visage. The girl was still sitting, and she slowly rose when she realized Kira was looking at her, her expression towards him not much different than the look she gave Lacus, but far more benign.

"Fllay, this is Lacus Clyne, she's a," Kira began to say, but was quickly interrupted.

"Transfer student, I already know," she said quickly, glancing towards Sai and Tolle. Kira made a quiet 'oh' and looked a bit caught off guard at that moment, words failing him. Lacus' gentle gaze had flown from him to Fllay, agitation pecking in her chest. The red haired girl crossed her arms beneath her breasts and gave Lacus a quick once over, narrowing her eyes when her gaze fell back upon Lacus'.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Fllay," Lacus began, offering her hand when she guessed that the other girl wasn't about to initiate a greeting, but the red head scoffed and glared.

"Don't refer to me like that, we're barely acquaintances," she snapped, uncaring of the surprised and shocked looks from the other boys. "Clyne…isn't that the same name of the chairman who headed those peace talks and was murdered for it?" Fllay asked suddenly, making Tolle drop his jaw.

"He-hey," he began to say, but then he seemed to remember something, and he looked over towards Lacus as well. "I thought that name sounded familiar…" the brunet murmured, furrowing his brow thoughtfully.

"Weren't he and his family killed in that house fire?" Kuzzey spoke up.

"But it was arson…Don't you remember that internet scandal a few years ago? That guy that admitted to it and was killed in that video?" Sai added.

"Do you think the arsonist was part of Blue Cosmos?" Tolle asked.

Kira sent a hurried glance over towards Lacus, a look of worry on his face. When they'd been having the "picnic" the other day, his mother had asked Lacus about her name. She'd looked rather uncomfortable and explained that it was an unfortunate coincidence she often dealt with. She mentioned being asked about it all the time at her old school, and Kira had wondered if the violent things associated with the late Clyne family bothered her more than she let on. Not taking a chance, he quickly threw himself into the conversation.

"Hey guys, is this really the time or place to talk about that stuff?" Kira asked, smiling a little nervously. It was almost painfully obvious he wanted to change the subject and Lacus noticed the Fllay girl send a sharp look towards the brunet.

"Sorry, I guess you're bothered by talk of murder, right? Since your father's one of the most important men in the PLANTs organization?" the girl asked, her voice icy and bitter. Her equally matching gaze fell on Lacus, whom looked more than a little bothered.

"So, you're a Coordinator, right?" she more demanded than asked, much to the added horror on the others' faces. Lacus felt her expression grow hard and masked.

"Yes, I am."

"Not surprising. You know there are terrorist organizations who kidnap coordinator students all the time and murder them? It's practically common place, they put videos up on the internet and everything," Fllay began to prattle, but Sai quickly reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey! Fllay! That's really rude, Kira's right there, too," he added, but the red haired girl didn't lessen her harsh gaze.

"It's just news, it's not like she's trying to be mean," Lacus said with a neutral look, shifting her pale gaze from the younger girl.

Kira stood beside her, his eyes troubled and an odd expression on his face. Lacus glanced at him and her brows knit for only a moment.

"H-hey, how about we get lunch, huh?" Tolle spoke up, nervously trying to change the subject.

Kira looked up then and smiled slightly, nodding. "Good plan, I'm starved." Turning to Lacus, the violet eyed boy gestured towards one of the buildings.

"Let's go get lunch,"

"All right." She agreed with a nod, and they began walking. Fllay stood her ground with Sai for a moment, staring at Lacus as she and Kira walked past them, their shoulders almost brushing. Lacus glanced over her shoulder at Fllay, and wasn't surprised to see the gray eyed girl leering at her.

"Hey, Lacus," Kira murmured quietly, walking a bit closer to her. "Please don't mind Fllay so much, she's not a bad person, really. She's just…" the boy looked a little troubled and his lips quivered slightly.

"She's?"

"Her father was murdered two years ago by a radical Coordinator Supremacy group. Her father was a leading spokesman for Naturals, so it was a direct attack and hate crime," the dark haired boy explained, looking at his housemate with a sympathetic look. Lacus guessed it was the idea of losing one's father that gave cause to the other's sympathies.

"The Clyne family wasn't a terrorist group," Lacus replied, "Siegel Clyne was trying to bring peace between Naturals and Coordinators, and he had a wife and child. They were all murdered by a terrorist."

Lacus turned a blank face on Kira, slightly curious. "That girl has the freedom to do and say as she pleases because her father is dead? It could be worse, she could be dead." The long haired girl said, looking away. "Then how would she speak?"

Kira gazed at the girl a moment, shock on his face slowly dissolving into some form of compassion and understanding, and he reached over to brush his hand over her arm. She looked at him, and was met with a soft smile.

"It doesn't make her words hurt any less." He whispered.

* * *

That night, Lacus sat on her bed in her night clothes, rereading her Calculus textbook to try and grasp the assignment. Though her brain functioned better than a Natural's, it didn't necessarily mean she was so lucky to have the genetic mapping in her brain to understand mathematics any better.

Just down the hall she knew from her monitors and bugs that Kira had long gone to sleep, and she had a mind to give up on the homework and follow his suit. Glaring at the textbook page yet again, she shut it and pushed it off the edge of the bed. Falling back on the comfortable mattress, she leant over towards the nightstand to turn off the lamp, sending the room into darkness.

But the glow of her computer screen gave the room an eerie, blue sheen. Multiple video feeds traded places on the screen, all manner of AI programs scanning the feed to check for irregularities in case Lacus wasn't there to spot them herself. There were Roost members miles away also monitoring the data and aiding Lacus in the background on her mission.

Now if only one of them could have been aiding her in studying Calculus…that would certainly be a show of smarts for the large staff of apparent geniuses Athrun kept cooped up in the Roost with six-figure pay plans and spacious rooms.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry I fell back on such a hiatus, everyone. I actually hate to admit that this chapter was a lot more fleshed out and near complete when I opened it this morning than I thought I remembered it being a few months ago. I've got a pretty good idea of how it'll flow, now, and I plan to make it much shorter (the story, not chapters, of course, you all know I'm a terrible person about making sure the chapters are meaty) so that it can be more of an easy story to write and read. Of course I wouldn't post something I'm not proud of so quality won't be sacrificed, but I want to make this story a bit more succinct than FYAI, wouldn't that be nice? Haha. Well, we all know you can't trust my word for anything, but try and put a little blind faith in me?


End file.
